The Rise of Lunar's Light (The Story Before Mateless)

Amethyst’s Pov:

“Stole your heart? What do you mean? You love them?” I choked, blinking back the tears. Hurt and confusion flashed across Joseph’s face. He attempted to sort out my emotions, which were overwhelming us both.

“Amethyst, no, of course not. I love you. I mean, they literally stole my heart,” he explained. The stress of his emotions weighed heavily on the air. “I understand this sounds crazy, but I swear to you they did,” he insisted.

To prove his point, he pulled off his shirt to show me the scar that was on his chest. Carefully, I ran my fingers over the jagged skin, leaving my palm to hover over where his heart should be. I couldn’t sense it beating.

“Please believe me, I went on a patrol after my 21st birthday with Sanders. That night, we went missing. We were gone for almost a month. Neither of us remembers much about what happened. One morning, a patrol found us in the bush on the ground with these scars on our chest. It was a week later when we woke up with no memories. Well, at least at that time. Occasionally, I got horrible nightmares. I dreamed so often of the creature who possessed my mind. In one, she reached into me and tore my heart from my chest as you did hers. I thought I lost my mind until I saw you do it,” he confessed.

“So, Sanders was with you?” I ventured, trying to piece everything together. Now I understood why they claimed his heart was tainted, because they possessed it. This was the darkest magic and was Taboo before the joining of the Goddesses. They forbade it, as it stained whatever it touched. “Yes, but he doesn’t remember the mother and daughter,” Joseph said. “Mother and daughter?” I asked.

“Yea, in my dreams. I’ve seen a young child and her mother standing over me as I gasp for air in the dense forest where they found us,” he shrugged.

I stared deep into his eyes, placing my hand firmly over his scar, letting the sparks trail through us. He glanced down at my hand and placed his over mine, giving it a gentle squeeze before returning his eyes to mine. “Did they say anything to you?” I asked. He shook his head while a frustrated grimace claimed his face.

“For the life of me, I can’t make out their words,” Joseph sighed, sounding defeated. “They’re a blur. Their images in my mind are nothing but jumbled fogginess when they speak. In my dreams she gave me a calming warmth, if that makes any sense to you?” he sighed.

Joseph tried to keep control of his frustration. He glanced away, closing his eyes. “Until I met you, I thought they were part of my nightmares. Now that I have met you, I just don’t know anymore,” Joseph whispered.

“If it was real, there is a way for me to recover those memories for you,” I breathed. “But it’s not without risk. I already invaded your mind once. This time, I will have to dig deeper. Joseph, you will need to surrender your mind to me. There is no other way. I must control you,” I explained.

“Think I like the idea of you being inside of me,” he growled playfully, kissing my cheek. “Joseph,” I scolded. This was not something to joke about. His rough grin forced me to smile. “Is it something you can do?” Joseph asked.

“Yes, but it’s considered a darker form of magic. It’s frowned upon by the Temple of the Moon and this was why many witches left the coven. The Goddesses did away with dark and black magic. I must converse with the Goddesses before I do this,” I explained.

“My darling little Thyst, it was us who showed you that your mate was cursed. In the darkest part of the night, does the moon not shine the brightest? Do what you need. We see your heart and what’s in it,” the Girl’s voice growled from behind me, startling Joseph.

“Where in the name of the Goddesses did you come from?” he asked. His face clearly revealed his surprise. I struggled to stifle a giggle. “I am everywhere, boy,” she growled before disintegrating before our eyes.

“You truly have the ears of the Goddesses, don’t you? I heard your pack had strong ties with them, thanks to the Elders and the Temple. Never did I expect to see one,” he gasped. “You get used to them,” I smiled.

“Uhm, so now what?” he asked coyly. “Well, it’s going to hurt, so I guess lie down on the bed. That should help,” I shrugged. The colour drained from his face. “Hurt?” he asked. His voice was tight from his worry.

“Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about that, its dark magic. The pain forces the victim to give themselves over easier. It’s my hope since you are willing that it won’t be as painful. Although I can’t say for sure, as I have never actually done this,” I explained. He shot me a glance filled with concern. “Trust me please, it will be all right,” I pressed.

Reluctantly, Joseph laid on my bed. I let my fingers run through his hair. “We don’t have to do this if you are not comfortable,” I insisted. “No, Amethyst, we should. I need answers. For far too long, I’ve felt as if someone’s been living my life for me. I want to end this. We need to figure out what these witches are up to and free my pack,” he affirmed. I smiled at him proudly. His desire to solve the issue with the witches and save his pack made my heart swell.

“Close your eyes. You will feel some… Well, let’s call it pressure. Joseph, if you ever feel as if you want to stop, push back. It will hurt, but you need to do this,” I explained.

Suddenly, I became uncomfortable with doing this. As if he sensed my uneasiness, Joseph reached for my hand, taking it in his and pulled it to his lips, kissing my palm. “You got this Amethyst,” he grinned.

I inhaled sharply, giving him a curt nod before I removed my hand from his, and placed one on either side of his head. “Think of the memories in the correct order, so I can understand them better,” I commanded. I closed my eyes, placing pressure on his temples.

“I command your mind to mine. To give me control. I demand you submit your will. Your mind shall become mine.” Joseph let out a blood-curdling scream, causing my heart to stop. It was common knowledge this was extremely painful to the recipient, but I never witnessed it done.

It was Gretchen who pushed for the coven to forsake black and dark magics after a rival witch turned her brother mad. She always taught us no decent witch would ever stoop to this level.

Joseph’s pain filled cries echoed through my soul as I waited for him to hand over his will to me. I tried to keep the tears at bay. Moments felt like hours. “Joseph, I demand that you submit,” I snapped, far more harshly than I intended. “I submit, I submit,” he screamed in anguish.

The air in the room swirled like a torrent on a raging river. Silver threads covered Joseph’s body like a web of a spider wrapping its prey before it fed. As I stared in horror at the scene that was before me. Now I completely understood why this magic was considered so dark. I took a deep breath to calm my raging heart.

Fog and haze greeted me as I walked through the dense and dark forest. I glanced around, searching for Sanders and Joseph. Finally, I found them. The stench of decay hung heavy in the air.

Suddenly, loud shrieks of pleasure broke the calm of the night. Before, dozens of witches seemed to peel themselves out of the wood surrounding Joseph and Sanders. Only once the beasts began to close the distance between themselves and the wolves did Joseph and Sanders notice them.

“Something’s not right,” Joseph’s terrified voice filled my mind. “What do you think we should do?” Sanders’s voice replied shakily. “I don’t recognize what’s here, but what I know is it’s ungodly. Goddesses save us. We need to run,” Joseph replied. Wolves were normally brave in the face of danger. Thankfully, they had enough sense to realize they were in grave danger, even if they couldn’t see the threat.

Their panic flooded their senses as they ran in the direction of the pack house and to the safety of their pack. The beasts allowed them to pass unharmed, to give them a false sense of security. They were leading them into a trap.

“Alpha, we are under attack by something unnatural,” Joseph linked. “Alpha? Respond,” he tried again. His fear was blinding him, making him completely unaware the beasts were herding him into their trap.

Suddenly, a loud buzz snapped through the air as Joseph made it to the trap first. Several witches moved to Joseph. “He is the weak one’s mate. Take him alive, kill the other,” a dark voice hissed.

The tone of the voice caused my hairs to stand on end. This was the voice of the beast’s God; it was he who planned these events. Things were far more dire than I first believed.

Chains of silver erupted from the ground, attaching themselves to Joseph as Sanders approached the location of the trap. A loud crack sent Sanders catapulting through the forest, only coming to rest hard against a large tree, snapping him like a twig. To my horror, Sanders’s body laid motionless.

Joseph screamed and struggled against the ever-tightening chains before they forced him from his wolf. A witch whose appearance was similar to the one who took over his mind stared him in the eyes. Then she pried his mouth open and forced some herbs in. She placed her slimy hand over his mouth while he struggled to free himself from her grasp.

Before long, Joseph’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. The chains dissolved from his body and he collapsed hard to the ground, rendered into a stupor. The beasts took him by his ankle and dragged him past the still body of Sanders. As they passed Sanders, one beast paused for a moment before a spark lit up her eyes.

“Covenness? Perhaps this could be useful to us?” the beast asked the witch who possessed Joseph. It kicked Sanders. “Indeed,” Covenness growled. The beasts reached down and dragged Sanders off along with Joseph.

The scene before me blurred, and fog consumed me as the stench of the beasts intensified. “Psst, Joseph, wake up,” Sanders’s voice whispered, causing the fog to lift. Joseph was lying on a cobblestone floor.

The dim light of the candles was enough to show the bars which close them in. “Thought you were dead; I haven’t seen you in two days,” Sanders sighed. Relief seemed to gush from his words.

“How long was I out?” Joseph grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. “No idea. They just dragged you back a few minutes ago. I heard screams coming from all around. We need to figure out why we are here,” Sanders insisted.

I walked over to the two men. For the first time, I noticed Sander’s shirt was covered in blood. Its rich metallic aroma was thick in the air. I studied Joseph’s appearance; he lost some mass since this moment. The jagged scar over where his heart should be was fresh and oozing.

I gently placed my hand on his chest. An expression of confusion filled his eyes, almost as if he sensed my presence. I closed my eyes. There was no heartbeat. Whatever they did, they ensured he would have no memory for me to reclaim.

A small, underweight girl who appeared to be free from the beast’s rot walked up to the bars. In her hands she carried a tray, which consisted of two hard hunks of moldy bread. There were two mugs of water which reeked of sulfur.

Her small eyes cast down as she set the tray next to the bars. Her breathing was ragged and weak. The child’s skin was far paler than it should be. By its beating, her heart was failing. Pity for the child flooded my heart. She would not walk this world for much longer.

“Don’t linger,” a vile voice shrieked. The beast slithered in. I slinked back in fear. The beast from his waist up was almost human. From below the waist, he was that of a snake. Where his eyes should have been, flames shot forth. His broad wings dimmed the already low light. Evil radiated from deep within him, devouring every inch of the room.

Even as a memory, he struck fear into my heart. It was no surprise, those who left the coven and followed him were rotting from the inside out.

“Leave, they have what they need, send for my Covenness,” his gritty voice growled. The small girl bowed as she ran out of the room, leaving the monster smiling menacingly at Sanders and Joseph. Did Sanders just smile back?

Something about this memory felt off. The witch who took control of Joseph’s mind entered, bowing before the beast. “My Lord, what is your will?” she asked. “This one, the mate of the weak. Do as I have instructed,” he growled. “To honor your will is my pleasure,” she laughed as fog reclaimed me.

I waded around the fog, searching for anything which could lead me to Joseph’s next memory. Finally, I stumbled across voices which were distant, sounding as if they were underwater or echoing through the dense bush.

But that was it. Only a flash of light here and there, but no memories I could flesh out. Was it possible that they ensured I could not go back and retrieve Joseph’s memories?

Finally, the fog thinned. Joseph gasped and struggled to breathe. My body struggled against the force which threatened to pull me into Joseph’s body. I gasped for air, blinking back my shock at being caught so unaware. It definitely was a trap. I blinked, trying to get my eyes, Joseph’s eyes rather, to focus. A bright light flooded my senses as a middle-aged woman dropped to her knees next to me. Her eyes pleading.

“Amethyst, please forgive me. I realized this would be the only way that I could reach you without the Covenness finding out.” Her voice was tight with stress, her eyes darted to something on my left side.

To my surprise, it was Sanders. He was sprawled out and covered with a magical veil. Other than that, he appeared to be fine. This witch was strong. I will give her that. She placed her hand gently on my face, regaining my attention.

“Please understand. I did what I needed to do. I tried to give your mate some of his memories back. Because I understood you would have to unlock them, but you can’t trust everything. The Covenness is trying to use him to deceive you. Trust almost nothing you’ve seen. Our God is trying to stop the birth of your daughter, as Celeste’s victory spells doom for our breed of witch. The true coven coming out of hiding, our God wishes for that to never happen,” she explained.

“You both are in grave danger. The man you identify as Sanders, it’s not him. They killed him when they took Joseph. He is a witch in disguise. Her job is to help the Covenness keep control over Joseph, and ensure your death. None are to be trusted with in Eclipse. Our God has taken Jennings’s son in order to keep him in line. In truth, they killed the boy as soon as they captured him. These witches stole Joseph’s heart. And believed they’ve locked it away so they could taint it against you as a last resort. Forgive me, I learned of its location and stole it back, leaving my daughters in its place, as there is no chance of you winning and keeping Joseph alive. Amethyst, I am sorry there was no way I could pass up the opportunity to save my daughter,” she explained. My mind and heart raced with this news.

“I left my cluster of witches and am choosing to run and hide; I know I can keep us hidden. Leave Joseph, take another mate and live happily ever after. Perhaps you can still give birth to a daughter strong enough. For what it is worth, I am truly sorry.” Her voice cracked and faded as silver threads burst from all around.

Joseph sputtered as he struggled against my restraints. “Hold on for a moment. Let me give you back your control,” I demanded. I placed my hand on his chest, allowing the sparks from our bond to calm him.

Moments later, I replaced my hands on his temples. “I relinquish the will that I stole. Your mind is your own once more,” I whispered. The silver threads which encased Joseph shattered. To my relief, he appeared fine, other than the heaviness in his eyes.

For a long time, neither of us spoke. We just looked into each other’s eyes and tried to absorb what his memories meant for us. “Amethyst,” he started, pulling me into his arms. His emotions were running wild. “We can’t trust your pack anymore,” I growled.

“She is right. Return home. I am more of a danger to you than I thought,” he whispered as tears spilled down his cheeks.

“No, we will fight this,” I snapped, taking him by surprise. “No, I have not waited more than one lifetime to find you, only to walk away,” I growled. “You can talk to Timothy, I promise,” I pressed. Joseph nodded, still unsure of what I was planning.

“Timothy?” I demanded more forcefully than I intended. “Thank the Goddess Thyst I have been worried sick about you. Is everything ok?” he replied. The desperate tone in his voice did not go unnoticed.

“Well,” I started, unsure how to explain all this craziness. “Joseph is awake. He needs to talk to you. Can I port us into your room? Too risky any other way,” I said. “Whatever you need to be safe, Amethyst, you know that.”